Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and New York, NY 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in New York, NY is 35.6% higher than in Chicago, IL (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New York, NY is 54.2% higher than in Chicago, IL
Rent Prices in New York, NY are 85.8% higher than in Chicago, IL
Restaurant Prices in New York, NY are 19.5% higher than in Chicago, IL
Groceries Prices in New York, NY are 23.2% higher than in Chicago, IL
Local Purchasing Power in New York, NY is 37.1% lower than in Chicago, IL
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 $ 28.00 $      +12.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 135.00 $      +35.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 12.00 $ 13.00 $      +8.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.00 $ 8.00 $      +14.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.12 $ 12.00 $      +47.7 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.62 $ 6.04 $      +7.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.99 $ 3.20 $      +7.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.42 $ 2.54 $      +5.0 %
Markets
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.88 $ 5.86 $      +51.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.73 $ 4.58 $      +22.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.47 $ 3.71 $      +50.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.59 $ 6.33 $      +37.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.63 $ 7.56 $      +13.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 6.84 $ 7.15 $      +4.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 8.33 $ 9.10 $      +9.2 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.37 $ 3.38 $      +42.8 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.82 $ 1.13 $      +38.4 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.91 $ 2.47 $      +28.9 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.98 $ 2.70 $      +36.3 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.10 $ 1.68 $      +52.8 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.22 $ 1.69 $      +38.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.43 $ 3.25 $      +33.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.59 $ 2.53 $      -2.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 19.99 $      +33.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.42 $ 2.80 $      +15.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.70 $ 3.67 $      -0.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 15.00 $ 18.00 $      +20.0 %
Transportation
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $ 2.90 $      +16.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 75.00 $ 132.00 $      +76.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.25 $ 5.00 $      +53.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.25 $ 3.50 $      +55.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 25.00 $ 42.00 $      +68.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.02 $ 3.73 $      -7.2 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 31,965.00 $ 34,500.00 $      +7.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,515.51 $ 27,985.28 $      +5.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 191.66 $ 186.67 $      -2.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 61.90 $ 57.90 $      -6.5 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 65.19 $ 61.32 $      -5.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 76.70 $ 159.00 $      +107.3 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 13.12 $ 64.58 $      +392.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 20.00 $      +33.3 %
Childcare
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,056.25 $ 3,164.36 $      +53.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 39,114.29 $ 56,857.14 $      +45.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 60.68 $ 66.88 $      +10.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 51.15 $ 48.95 $      -4.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 94.52 $ 113.27 $      +19.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 150.59 $ 167.33 $      +11.1 %
Rent Per Month
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,319.57 $ 3,992.29 $      +72.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,533.50 $ 2,765.47 $      +80.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,554.55 $ 8,816.67 $      +93.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,770.45 $ 5,195.42 $      +87.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 315.84 $ 1,668.59 $      +428.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 245.25 $ 1,197.27 $      +388.2 %
Salaries And Financing
Chicago, IL Edit New York, NY Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,293.39 $ 5,132.20 $      -3.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.60 6.47      -2.0 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:247374